[VIDS/PICS] Pakistan announce 20-man initial squad for 2-match Test series vs South Africa

[MenInG]

==

Nine uncapped players in 20-member side for South Africa Tests

• Abdullah Shafique, Haris Rauf, Imran Butt, Kamran Ghulam, Nauman Ali, Salman Ali Agha, Saud Shakeel, Sajid Khan and Tabish Khan rewarded for stellar performances

• Chief selector Muhammad Wasim says domestic cricket will remain a stepping stone for international cricket and will be valued and respected

• Haris Sohail, Mohammad Abbas, Shan Masood and Zafar Gohar dropped but will work with the National High Performance Centre coaches; Naseem Shah not considered after complaining of a hamstring niggle

Karachi, 15 January 2021:

Pakistan cricket selectors have named a 20-member squad, including nine uncapped players, for the two-Test series against South Africa, which commences here on 26 January. The players will enter the bio-secure bubble on 19 January and the squad will be trimmed to 16 players ahead of the first Test.

Openers Abdullah Shafique and Imran Butt, middle-order batsmen Kamran Ghulam, Salman Ali Agha and Saud Shakeel, spinners Nauman Ali and Sajid Khan, and fast bowlers Haris Rauf and Tabish Khan have been rewarded for their stellar performances in the 2020-21 domestic season, including the first-class Quaid-e-Azam Trophy.

Hasan Ali has returned to the Test side after two years following a highly successful Quaid-e-Azam Trophy in which he was adjudged player of the final and tournament. Hasan, whose ninth and last Test appearance was against South Africa in Johannesburg, took 43 wickets and scored 273 runs in a fierce and highly competitive Quaid-e-Azam Trophy that included match figures of five for 129 and 106 not out in the second innings of the tied final.

Also returning to the side is left-arm spinner Mohammad Nawaz, who took 22 wickets with two-fers and scored 744 runs in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy. He last played a Test against the West Indies in Sharjah in 2016.

Nawaz and Faheem Ashraf are the two-all-rounders in a side that also includes three openers, six middle-order batsmen, two wicketkeepers, three spinners and four fast bowlers.

Haris Sohail, Mohammad Abbas, Shan Masood and Zafar Gohar, who played in the last Test in Christchurch, have been left out. Haris, Abbas and Shan will be invited to the High Performance Centre in Lahore so that they can work on their technical faults with the qualified coaches. Zafar who made his Test Debut in Christchurch remains part of selectors long term plans in both red and white ball cricket, and will also work with NHPC coaches on further improvement of his all-round skillset.

Fast bowler Naseem Shah was not considered for selection after complaining of a niggle in his hamstring. He will shortly commence his rehabilitation programme at the National High Performance Centre.

The 20-player squad is:

Openers – Abid Ali (Central Punjab), Abdullah Shafique (Central Punjab) and Imran Butt (Balochistan)

Middle-order batsmen - Azhar Ali (Central Punjab), Babar Azam (captain, Central Punjab), Fawad Alam (Sindh), Kamran Ghulam (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Salman Ali Agha (Southern Punjab) and Saud Shakeel (Sindh)

All-rounders – Faheem Ashraf (Central Punjab) and Mohammad Nawaz (Northern)

Wicketkeepers – Mohammad Rizwan (vice-captain, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) and Sarfaraz Ahmed (Sindh)

Spinners – Nauman Ali (Northern), Sajid Khan (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) and Yasir Shah (Balochistan)

Fast bowlers – Haris Rauf (Northern), Hasan Ali (Central Punjab), Shaheen Shah Afridi (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) and Tabish Khan (Sindh)

Chief selector Muhammad Wasim: “I want to congratulate all the uncapped players who have made it to the 20-player Pakistan Test squad. These nine players are now just a step away from representing Pakistan in the pinnacle format of the game. As such, they have an outstanding opportunity to step-up show their class and potential, and perform strongly so that they can cement their places for future international assignments.

“This is a reward for their consistent performance, hard work and perseverance during a difficult season played under the strict Covid-19 protocols. This is also an endorsement that domestic cricket will be valued and respected, and will remain a stepping stone for international cricket. All those players who aspire to represent Pakistan at the global stage will not only have to feature in it but also perform at the expected levels to earn the selectors’ nod.

“For the players who have narrowly missed out on selection, I want to encourage them to retain their focus and continue to work hard as we have a busy and packed 2021 ahead. This means there will potentially be opportunities at some stage down the year. I will like to see these players continue to focus on their fitness and form even after curtain falls on the 2020-21 season so that whenever they get a call-up, they are ready to cash in on the opportunity.

“Haris Sohail, Mohammad Abbas and Shan Masood have been dropped due to inconsistent performances. However, the PCB will not let its investment on these talented players go to waste and will invite them to the High Performance Centre so that they can work out their technical flaws and get back into contention.

“Shan’s bad form has opened doors for Abid Ali’s new partner, be it either Abdullah Shafique or Imran Butt, who was last season’s top scorer. Together with Abdullah, he was in New Zealand with the Shaheens side.

“Kamran Ghulam (1,249 runs), Saud Shakeel (970 runs) and Salman Ali Agha (941 runs) walk into the middle-order to support Azhar Ali, Babar Azam and Fawad Alam. This is a formidable and highly skilled middle-order, which will encourage a further healthy competition for a permanent place in the side.

“With Naseem Shah and Shadab Khan not available due to niggles, the selectors have shown faith in bowlers with diverse variations and skillsets, who also know our conditions at the back of their hands.

“The horses for courses policy means performers like left-arm spinner Nauman Ali, off-spinner Sajid Shah, and fast bowlers Haris Rauf and Tabish Khan will be available for selection, depending on the team composition for the first Test against South Africa in Pakistan in 14 years.

“Wrist spinner Zahid Mahmood had a strong case after an excellent season, but we decided against going into the series with all four inexperienced spinners. Yasir Shah understands pressures of international cricket and is familiar with the demands, challenges and expectations of the purist format of the game.

“Tabish Khan has been preferred over Sohail Khan as he is more effective and useful in Pakistan conditions. Like Mohammad Abbas, Tabish is a workhorse, who can bowl long spells with controlled line and length. His 598 career first-class wickets, including 30 wickets this season, is a testament that he is a like-to-like replacement for Mohammad Abbas in the given conditions.

“Faheem Ashraf and Mohammad Nawaz are two all-rounders of contrasting skills and should provide more selection options to the team management.”

[Omer2002]

Big big calls good to see...shaan ..haris and abbas even dropped

[Kaddy]

So Zafar Gohar dropped after only 1 test.

[ChTab]

Good call to drop Shan, Haris, Abbas & Naseem but it's unfair to drop Zafar gohar, surprised to see Abid Ali still in the squad but probably he is in because Imam is injured.

[Huzaifah]

Still no Usman Salahuddin, but good to see under performing players like Shan, Haris, Abbas being dropped.

[Mir jibran]

Ruthless selection
what a debut by md wasim

[Ahmed_99]

Haris Rauf??? Has he even played many first class games???

[Mueez]

Very solid squad.

Big calls made by Wasim.

Well done.

[Rana]

Abdullah Shafique. Interesting

[Asif321]

Lol nice way to give confidence
Zafar must be fuming

This is going to be Long break for Naseem Shah .

[mazkhan]

On what basis is tabish khan ahead of waqas maqsood .

We were probably better of trying dhani or arshad iqbal as third seamer

[Rana]

Haris Rauf??? Has he even played many first class games???

LOL yeah.

[Nikhil_cric]

Why haris Rauf and tabish khan?

[Asif321]

Finally Tabish Gets a Call . Good to see

[Shafi]

Great squad!!! But both Misbah and Waqar will ruin this selection. Younis khan should be interim coach with no bowling coach.

[Kaddy]

I know he will not be part of the final squad but selection of Haris Rauf is unfair.

The guy doesn't play first class. No need to give test cap on the basis of t20s.

[Rana]

3 proper spinners in the squad.

[mazkhan]

I guess they will go with 3 , faheem , shaheen , hasan ali as the seamers

Play yasir as the spinner

Then maybe I guess they will add a offspinner in either nawz , nauman , or sajid .
Nawaz at least gives added batting ability .

[MenInG]

[kingusama92]

Not bad.

He made some ballsy decisions especially with Abbas, Shan, and Haris. That alone is a massive step forward and they can work on seeing which of the merit-based picks works out before slowly cutting the rest.

Speaking of merit, not sure what Haris Rauf is doing in the Test squad.

[Omer2002]

He was never ready in my opinion the spinners picked are too but this is the best squad he could have picked .

Only issue this looks a very inexperienced on paper

[ChTab]

I think last 16 would probably look like

Azhar Ali
Abid Ali
Saud Shakeel
Babar Azam
Fawad Alam
M. Rizwan
M. Nawaz
Yasir Shah
Hassan Ali
Shaheen Shah
Sajid Khan

Kamran Ghulam
Agha Salman
Tabish Khan
Faheem Ashraf
Abdullah Shafique

[Nikhil_cric]

Anyone know why Irfanullah Shah is not sen as a test prospect by anyone. Seemed to be good with the new ball.

[Rellu_Katta]

Good to see Sajid and Nauman in the spin ... can they both play?
Shaheen, Hassan and Faheem will take the semaers place...

good to see Saud and Agha in there but will they get a game?

looks like it could be

1) Abid Ali
2) Abdullah Shafiq / Imran Butt
3) Azhar Ali
4) Babar Azam
5) Fawad Alam
6) M. Rizwan
7) Faheem Ashraf
8) Hassan Ali
9) Nauman Ali
10) Sajid Khan/Yasir Shah
11) SSA

[Slim]

Solid solid squad. Good stuff, Mohammad Wasim.

The only bad calls i see is selection of Haris, and Zafar Gohar being dropped after one test. Hope that the shortlisted 16 see both Haris and Abid getting dropped.

[ataullah]

Ruthless selection
what a debut by md wasim

Love it

[Adnan_Ilyas]

Did not expect to see Abbas dropped. Lot of new players which is good to see. Very different squad's I am excited

[kingusama92]

I think we can all respect a selector that has the guts to go all-in.

I thought he would try to cut a few guys here and there to not rock the boat. Instead, he's sent almost all of the below-par players packing.

Losing with a squad like this is worth it cause you're still progressing in the right direction.

[naseem]

Why no zafar and Haris Rauf...????

[Ahmed216]

Good squad selection but m sure misbah Younis will manage to pick the worst possible 11.
Tabish khan seems to be an emotional pick

[Adnan_Ilyas]

Who are these new players? Have they played good in the Domestic tournament recently?

[Belawal2014]

Anyone know why Irfanullah Shah is not sen as a test prospect by anyone. Seemed to be good with the new ball.

Good call, would have had him over Haris 'spray gun' Rauf.

[PakPremi]

Only issue I have is with inclusion of is with Mohd Nawaz. He is overrated by everyone.
It is ok to drop Zafar G as he should be tried in limited overs first in NZ he was not able to take NY wickets or restrict runs,but if Nawaz was alternative then he should have been retained. Rest of the squad is fair enough maybe Usman should have been ahead of Abdullah.

[naseem]

Overall I am happy.....atleast the right khan is selected

[Sir-fraz]

Tabish khan makes no sense. Dudes 36, same with sarfaraz and haris rauf.

Better to have 3 young players instead.

[AAli98]

Can see Rolf Haris breaking down after 15 overs.

[Majid Khan]

Did not expect to see Abbas dropped. Lot of new players which is good to see. Very different squad's I am excited

This is it , new players = excitement + hope

Otherwise rubbish continues to be rubbish, doesn’t matter how many times you recycle it.

Yes there’s a good chance some new players might be rubbish too , but at least there’s hope and law of probability that might work in your favour and you might discover someone who’s not rubbish if you keep trying ?

[naseem]

Definitely the tail will be curtailed now

[Nikhil_cric]

Good call, would have had him over Haris 'spray gun' Rauf.

Yes. The guy has the best average for a seamer this QEA season and they selected a 36 year old Tabish Khan and Haris, who barely plays FC cricket. Otherwise, it's a good squad

[naseem]

Tabish khan makes no sense. Dudes 36, same with sarfaraz and haris rauf.

Better to have 3 young players instead.

RAuf ......sarfi might not be part of final squad.....so is Shafique

[Mamoon]

So we are going to pick tape ball bowlers and street cricketers in Test cricket as well? Wow.

[Majid Khan]

So we are going to pick tape ball bowlers and street cricketers in Test cricket as well? Wow.

Are you implying here that the current team are better than street and tape ball cricketers ?

[Amirforpresident]

Disappointed to see Zafar being dropped after just one match in NZ.
Good to see that performers in the QEA are being rewarded.

The bowling line up in my opinion should be:
Hasan Ali
Shaheen
Agha Salman as the spinbowling allrounder
Sajid
And Yasir (can’t play Nauman and Sajid in the same match right now)

[ethan hunt]

Anyone know why Irfanullah Shah is not sen as a test prospect by anyone. Seemed to be good with the new ball.

Yeah. Good test match skills on that guy.

[ethan hunt]

Thats it for abbas i guess?
Lol. Haris rauf? Although if he finds some reverse swing in asian conditions he can surprise otherwise the lengths he bowls could mean he gets hammered.

[MenInG]

Some slides from his presentation about inclusions and exclusions

Inclusions:

Attachment 106157Attachment 106158Attachment 106159Attachment 106160Attachment 106161Attachment 106162Attachment 106163

Exclusions

[Mamoon]

Are you implying here that the current team are better than street and tape ball cricketers ?

It Pakistan cannot find a better bowler than a rock thrower with only 3 FC matches and 7 wickets, then the situation is even more deplorable than what I think.

[Pakpak]

Anyone know why Irfanullah Shah is not sen as a test prospect by anyone. Seemed to be good with the new ball.

Your knowledge about our cricket is impressive. All we need is to get rid of Misbah maybe we'll have some competent selector, coach and captain for once together.

[Junaids]

Can see Rolf Haris breaking down after 15 overs.

15 is a big number for Rolf Haris.

Pretty strong start, bravo.

[Corridor of Uncertainty]

Rewarding domestic performances is the right way to go.

I have some differences - but overall, support Wasim's approach.

Well done. Bold.

[Major]

Lol abbas dropped and haris added in squad.

have to admit, he took some very tough decisions. Lets see how they pan out.

GUys is sajid khan a good bowler? WHat kind of a bowler is he?

[Shoaibbtt]

Some slides from his presentation about inclusions and exclusions

Inclusions:

Attachment 106157Attachment 106158Attachment 106159Attachment 106160Attachment 106161Attachment 106162Attachment 106163

Exclusions

This is exactly what I expect to see from a selector. He’s made good calls and already shown he’s a ballsy selector. Well done!

[Mesozoic]

Lots of unknown youngsta beauties.

But to be honest, even Pak A is good enough for the Saffer side unless they decide to prepare green wickets for some reason.

[Major]

I would had not dropped Shadab Khan, he was good in england when thrown the ball

[Shoaibbtt]

Lol abbas dropped and haris added in squad.

have to admit, he took some very tough decisions. Lets see how they pan out.

GUys is sajid khan a good bowler? WHat kind of a bowler is he?

He’s ok, he got like 62 wickets this season plus he bats.

[Abdullah Rabbani]

Aag laga de wah wah

[taqi]

Bold calls but inexperience squad.

Need to go same way on selection of 16 as well.

[Slim]

Some slides from his presentation about inclusions and exclusions

Inclusions:

Attachment 106157Attachment 106158Attachment 106159Attachment 106160Attachment 106161Attachment 106162Attachment 106163

Exclusions

This is really good and professional stuff. Happy to see him justifying his selections based on actual stats!

[Loralai]

This is a good step forward. I would have liked to see Usman Salahuddin included - he is more compact and technically better than Salman Ali Agha. Agha cannot play the short ball and will struggle away from Pakistan.

[Nikhil_cric]

Your knowledge about our cricket is impressive. All we need is to get rid of Misbah maybe we'll have some competent selector, coach and captain for once together.

I found him more impressive than Arshad Iqbal when bowling for KPK. He bowled a tight line and moved it away from a length with the new ball . Dont think any other Pakistani bowler i capable of that that right now.

Deserved a go ahead of Haris Rauf for sure

[Shoaibbtt]

A big wake up call for all the guys in the team.

[Mir jibran]

I would had not dropped Shadab Khan, he was good in england when thrown the ball

He is out due to injury

[DeadBall]

I would had not dropped Shadab Khan, he was good in england when thrown the ball

He's injured.

[Slim]

Watching the conference live, Yayha Hussaini is such a pathetic man!

[b.lesner]

Very good team first time I'm happy.

Im disappointed with Jernalists Nobody asked about Usman Salahuddin

And Wasim Said Abdullah Shafiq is selected as opener so wouldn't it be better to go with regular opener like Sami Aslam, Israrullah or Zain Abbas.
Otherwise good squad

[samiakh]

Anyone know why Irfanullah Shah is not sen as a test prospect by anyone. Seemed to be good with the new ball.

Totally agree. This guy should have been there. That would have been a ballsy but good pick

[Kaddy]

Watching the conference live, Yayha Hussaini is such a pathetic man!

What did he ask?

[PakPremi]

I would had not dropped Shadab Khan, he was good in england when thrown the ball

Not fit yet.

[PakPremi]

What did he ask?

He is always full of agendas and almost always goes against any PCB decisions or PCB management. Typical GEO mindset against PTI establishment.

[Maliq_Mudasir]

Apart from Zafar exclusion, this is good squad.

[SensiblePakFan]

Some slides from his presentation about inclusions and exclusions

Inclusions:

Attachment 106157Attachment 106158Attachment 106159Attachment 106160Attachment 106161Attachment 106162Attachment 106163

Exclusions

This is some next level stuff right here lol.

[Shams123]

Its an okay squad. Looks like Pak is going to prepare square turners. Wasim has played to the gallery by picking tabish, sajid ,kamram Ghulam Nauman.

[Greenstorm]

Good squad. We needed a bowler like haris rauf in our one dimensional bowling.

I think under M wasim and a better head coach, we will see rapid improvement in LOIs and marginal in test cricket.

[Shafi]

Watching the conference live, Yayha Hussaini is such a pathetic man!

Exactly!!! He is advocating for Imam and accusing Wasim doing cut and past to show the graph.

[Titan24]

Decent squad. I would have maybe preferred Waqas Maqsood over Tabish Khan and Sharjeel (If fit and allowed to select) over Abdullah Shafique (For now) but, overall it looks solid.

[Rana]

Good squad. We needed a bowler like haris rauf in our one dimensional bowling.

I think under M wasim and a better head coach, we will see rapid improvement in LOIs and marginal in test cricket.

Harris is not bowling well these days. A bit of a premature decision this.

[UzmanBeast]

"Fun is not something one considers when balancing the universe, but this, does put a smile on my face."

I was actually really amazed with this squad selection. A lot of positives, and I like how Mohammad Wasim is using statistics to back up the decisions he made.

Firstly, the inclusion of Kamran Ghulam, Salman Ali Agha, Saud Shakeel, Mohammad Nawaz, Hasan Ali, and Sajid Khan were very good to see.

I have my reservations about Nauman Ali and Tabish Khan, who are well past their prime and will just be there for a year or two if they do play. Good to see Faheem Ashraf in the squad as well.

He's gone for balance, accounting for the two diverse pitches of Karachi and Pindi. Karachi will almost definitely be one suited for spin, so having Yasir and Sajid/Nauman operate together was a pretty good decision. Of course, someone like Nawaz can also chime in with a few overs if needed, along with Salman Ali Agha as well.

Haris Rauf's inclusion was a bit confusing for me, but I know where he's coming from. Naseem was express pace, and Haris is the only like-for-like replacement who hasn't been tested yet. Haris Rauf also plays FC cricket for Northern I believe, and Mohammad Wasim coaches Northern, so it's no surprise to see him here if Mohammad Wasim truly thinks that he merits a spot.

Overall, a very fine squad selection.

Personally, for Karachi, I'd go with:

Imran Butt
Abid Ali
Azhar Ali
Babar Azam (c)
Fawad Alam
Mohammad Rizwan
Faheem Ashraf
Hasan Ali
Yasir Shah
Sajid Khan
Shaheen Shah Afridi

Unfortunately, I can't fit Haris Rauf into the team if I'm playing two spinners, and the goal should be to accommodate two spinners. Faheem can play the role Abbas plays, and Shaheen and Hasan can be the new ball pair.

The Pindi test will see a few changes:

Imran Butt
Abid Ali
Azhar Ali
Babar Azam (c)
Fawad Alam
Salman Ali Agha/Kamran Ghulam/Saud Shakeel
Mohammad Rizwan
Yasir Shah/Sajid Khan
Hasan Ali
Haris Rauf
Shaheen Shah Afridi

We will need more batting in Pindi where the fast-bowlers of South Africa are more likely to create problems for our batsmen. However, when the ball goes old, it becomes a pretty good batting strip.

Really good squad selection, and well justified picks from Mohammad Wasim.

[BigShak]

Good selections other than Tabish (irfanullah and Maqsood more deserving on current form) and Nawaz after dropping Gohar just after one game.

I’d play the following lineup on a spinning deck in Karachi. Bring in Faheem for Sajid maybe in Rawalpindi where there may be more pace and bounce.

Azhar
Abid
Babar
Saud
Fawad
Rizwan
Agha
Sajid
Hasan
Yasir
Shaheen

[Thunderbolt14]

Wasim said that he wanted to give priority to domestic performers in all cases unless the cupboard was bare for a specific role. In particular, there are very few regular openers who performed, so it’s the one area he went based on potential rather than performances.

Similarly, there is no 150kph bowler in domestics who can occupy the enforcer role, and also bowl reverse swing. So Haris makes sense. It’s a different role to Irfanullah for example, as some posters are asking.

I’m sure that neither of them will make it to the final XI, these two have mainly been selections to show the direction that he wants to take and both will be made to play lots of first class cricket this upcoming season keeping this direction in mind.

[UzmanBeast]

Good selections other than Tabish (irfanullah and Maqsood more deserving on current form) and Nawaz after dropping Gohar just after one game.

I’d play the following lineup on a spinning deck in Karachi. Bring in Faheem for Sajid maybe in Rawalpindi where there may be more pace and bounce.

Azhar
Abid
Babar
Saud
Fawad
Rizwan
Agha
Sajid
Hasan
Yasir
Shaheen

I think Irfanullah Shah should have been selected ahead of Haris Rauf. Tabish has performed for a long time, so it's fair to keep him there.

IMO, Irfanullah Shah would have been a good option for Pindi because of the awkward bounce he generates and the pace at which he bowls.